Kent Chan Group
Weekly class (online)
Our meetings are held online on Thursday evenings hosted on Zoom. Although most of our members are in Kent, as the meetings are online they are of course open to anyone.
The evening runs from 7.30-9.30pm, and we ask that you please aim to have connected to the meeting by at least 7.25pm so that we can start on time. To join, simply click the link below and follow the instructions to connect to the meeting.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86119847385
The regular format for our meetings is two 25-30 minute periods of sitting meditation with mindful movement practice (qigong) in between, and we give instructions about how we do those practices. We then have tea, and in the remaining time share a talk or reading on a Buddhist/Chan theme which we follow with a group discussion.
We operate on a drop-in basis, so there's no expectation of people joining every week. Newcomers and beginners are particularly welcome.
For one of our meetings each month, we have an 'extended practice evening' with more of a focus on meditation practice.
Meeting schedule
November 2024
- Thursday 7 November - meeting on (extended practice evening)
- Thursday 14 November - meeting on
- Thursday 21 November - meeting on
- Thursday 28 November - meeting on
December 2024
- Thursday 5 December - meeting on (extended practice evening)
- Thursday 12 December - meeting on
- Thursday 19 December - meeting on
Christmas break
- Thursday 26 December - no meeting
- Thursday 2 January - no meeting
January 2025
- Thursday 9 January - meeting on (extended practice evening)
- Thursday 12 January - meeting on
- Thursday 19 January - meeting on
- Thursday 26 January - meeting on
Day retreats (in person)
In addition to our online weekly meetings, we also offer the opportunity to meet in person for more extended periods of practice. Here are the dates for 2024.
- Sunday 17 March 2024
- Sunday 2 June 2024
- Sunday 1 September 2024
- Sunday 8 December 2024
We meet at the St Benedict's Centre in West Malling, Kent - stbenedictscentre.org and the day runs from 10.00am to 4.30pm.
The day of practice will include sitting and walking meditation, and other mindful movement practices. The day is best suited to anyone with prior experience of meditation practice, and we recommend you should have attended a weekly WCF class before attending.
We ask for donations of £20 to help cover the cost of the room hire. Please contact Stuart (see below) to reserve your place and for more details about the retreat.
Monthly half-day retreats (online)
On some months between the day retreats, we also offer a Sunday morning online practice. As with the full day retreats, we recommend attendance for people only with some prior experience of meditation practice.
The sessions run from 9.00am to 12.00pm, and we ask that you please aim to have connected by at least 8.55am so that we can start on time.
Here are the dates for our half-day online retreats for 2024.
- Sunday 4 February
- Sunday 5 May
- Sunday 7 July
- Sunday 3 November
If you are planning to attend for the first time, we would be grateful of you could let us know by sending an email to the address below.
To join on the day, simply click the link below and follow the instructions to connect to the meeting.
